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Backing up a Lotus Notes user's personalized data and settings periodically, and specifically prior to Notes client upgrade, is suggested. In the event hat the user moves to a new computer, you can easily restore personalized data and settings.

The Lotus Notes Roaming User feature automatically replicates end-user settings and personalized data to a Domino server of file share where they can be backed-up by an administrator. For those not yet using this feature the following is a procedure for manually backing up a Lotus Notes user's data and settings files. When the user needs to use Lotus Notes on a new computer, a second computer or a loaned computer, the backup can be applied to restore local data and settings.

Backing up a Notes user's personalized data and settings periodically, and specifically prior to Notes client upgrade, is suggested.

Who is this article for?

The intended audience for this article is the Domino administrator responsible for backing up Notes clients but also the Notes client users that may be asked to, or feel compelled to, back up their Notes clients themselves.

This article specifically addresses Lotus Notes 8 and greater.

What platform and version requirements exist?

Backed up and restore requires platform parity, in other words if you've backed up your Notes files and applications from a Windows platform (the Notes client was installed on a Windows platform) the backed up files can be restored to that same platform.

A backup and restore operation is easiest between the same Notes version, same platform, and same Notes installation directory path and type (single to single or multi to multi).

A backup from a single user Notes installation to a restore on a Notes multi-user installation can be done with caveats, for example, the user's data directory location differs between the two installation types.

A backup from a Notes custom data directory to a restore on a non-custom data directory (and vice vera) can be done with caveats, as the Notes data directory location differs.

As the matrix illustrates, backed up files can be restored to the same Notes version or greater, but not to an earlier version of Notes.

Backup and restore matrix based on Lotus Notes version

This back up and restore post applies to Notes 8.0.x and greater and has no real bearing on Notes 7.x or 6.x except in that restore of Notes applications and files items listed in the table are upwardly compatible; restoring any files from a previous version of Notes to a newer version of Notes is generally supported.

Restore to version:

Backup
from
version:

8.5.2

8.5.1

8.5

8.0.2

8.0.1

8.0

8.5.2

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

8.5.1

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

8.5

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

8.0.2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

8.0.1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

8.0

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Do roaming user files and applications also need to be backed up?

One advantage of configuring users as Notes roaming users is that many of the user's personalized data and settings files are stored centrally on a server (not only the local client) and made available to that user on whatever Notes client they log into. When an end-user logs in to Notes on another computer, their server-persisted personalized roaming data is automatically fetched and replicated down to that computer, creating a seamless experience for Lotus Notes users when moving among different computers or to a new computer.

Not all of the backup and restore information described here is necessary for Notes roaming users. The files and applications that a Notes roaming user does not need to back up (because they reside on a central server which is presumably backed up periodically by an administrator) include the following:

Bookmarks (bookmark.nsf)

Contacts (names.nsf)

Feeds subscriptions (localfeedcontent)

Notebook or journal (notebook.nsf or journal.nsf)

Eclipse plug-in data and settings (roamingdata.nsf)

Notes Workspace (managed by bookmark.nsf)

Which Notes client applications and files should be backed up

Back up the items listed in the following table for each Notes client periodically and also just prior to upgrading to a newer Notes release.

Note: Depending on how Lotus Notes was installed, default directories may vary. To locate the listed files, search the Notes <install directory

Note: Environment variables such as Directory= and NotesProgram= may impact the backup and restore task, as well as various notes.ini variable and values.

Note: Some of these files may have been introduced in a Notes version that is more recent than what you have installed; if so simply ignore whatever listed files or applications you do not have on your system.

Note: The Notes data directory can be found in one of several locations based on your installation configuration. See the following information for recommended data directory location:

Contains Eclipse preferences from the original install kit's plugin_customization.ini files and optionally any additional entries that were manually added to the plugin_customization.ini file after the install.

Note: You may choose not to overwrite an existing plugin_customization.ini file but rather to compare the two and decide which specific entries from the backup version you want to add to your current version file.

Note: For statements where a corresponding policy setting exists, the policy setting takes precedent over the plugin_customization.ini file statement.

presetfeeds.opml

Notes framework\rcp\deploy\extras directory

Example: :\Program Files\<Notes_install_dir

\framework\rcp\deploy\extras

Contains your preset feeds so that when you install the Notes Feed Reader these subscriptions will be added automatically.

Note: What you do not need to back up

-- As notes in the table, you do not need to back up the JAVA classes cache (64MB) workspace\.config directory (Program Files\<Notes_install_dir

\data\workspace\.config.

-- You do not need to back up any of the data directory items not listed in the table above. For example, you do not need to back up any Notes application templates (.ntf files) or the contents of any subdirectory other than the workspace subdirectory.

-- A Notes user's mail file is traditionally maintained on a target Domino server, referred to as a mail server. A user's local mail file typically does not need to be backed up.

-- See the Roaming users section of this article to determine what files and applications do not need to be backed up for Notes roaming users.

Restoring Notes client applications and files

In the event that a user's client system is lost, damaged or needs to be re-imaged, if the user experiences issues during an upgrade, or if the Notes user has simply obtained a new computer and wants to have his personalized data made available on it, the administrator or the user himself can restore that user's backed up files and applications.

To restore the user's Notes client applications and files, simply copy them from the backup to their correct target location using the directory designations in the above table. Use the backup and restore matrix in combination with the files and applications table (in this article) to determine what to restore and where.

Advanced users and administrators may choose to automate the simple copy and paste process using scripts or backup tools, or by or otherwise making the backup and restore process more automated.